The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot 1 Palestinian near al-Fawar refugee camp; Israeli forces alleged that the man was wielding a knife when he was shot. Israeli forces also assaulted 1 minor near Jenin; he was taken to a hospital for treatment. 3 Palestinians were arrested trying to enter Israel near Jenin. In East Jerusalem, 6 Palestinians were arrested in al-Tur and the Old City. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian bird hunters northeast of al-Bureij; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces also opened fire on agricultural lads east of Abasan; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA 11/8; PCHR 11/12)

1 Palestinian sued 1 Israeli settler for vandalizing his property in a Nablus court. The suit against an Israeli settler in a Palestinian court is the 1st of its kind. (WAFA 11/8)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas congratulated president-elect Joe Biden on his victory in the 2020 U.S. presidential elections. In a statement, President Abbas said, “I look forward to working with the President-elect and his administration to strengthen the Palestinian-American relations and to achieve freedom, independence, justice and dignity for our people, as well as to work for peace, stability and security for all in our region and the world.” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu also congratulated President-elect Biden in a tweet and immediately after, in another tweet, thanked President Donald Trump for “recognizing Jerusalem and the Golan, for standing up to Iran, for the historic peace accords and for bringing the American-Israeli alliance to unprecedented heights.” (HA, REU, Twitter, Twitter, WAFA, WAFA 11/8; HA, WAFA 11/9)

A delegation of Israeli settlers led by Yossi Dagan of the Samaria Regional Council met with Emirati businesspeople to promote their settler businesses. The settler business trip in the UAE is set to commence on 11/12. An aide to President Abbas called it “painful to witness Arab cooperation with one of the worst manifestations of aggression against the Palestinian people, which is the Israeli settlements on our land.” (AP, HA 11/11)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers injured 2 Palestinians while throwing stones at a Palestinian-owned house in Yatma. Separately, Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian-owned agricultural lands east of Tulkarm, damaging olive and almond trees. Israeli forces also confiscated 1 residential caravan in Bayt Dajan. 26 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Bayt Umar, Dura, Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Ya‘bad, Jenin, Nablus, and Qalqilya. During a raid near Ramallah, 1 Palestinian was injured by a rubber-coated bullet; 1 other Palestinian was injured by gunfire in Qalqilya, and clashes erupted during a raid in Ya‘bad; no injuries were reported there. In East Jerusalem, 3 Palestinians were injured in 2 separate attacks by unidentified perpetrators; 1 4-year-old girl was hit in the head by a bullet in Issawiyya and 1 man and his child were shot while working in a store in Shu‘fat. 1 Palestinian was arrested in Issawiyya. (HA, WAFA, WAFA 5/21; PCHR 5/28)

The PA formally informed Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories and the CIA that it was no longer participating in security coordination and intelligence sharing. PA forces also left Area B which, like Area C, is under Israeli military control. PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh also said that the PA would not accept COVID-19-related aid sent from UAE on a direct plane to Israel landing on 5/20, noting that the PA had not been informed about the shipment before it took off. All the COVID-19 material will instead go to Gaza, which witnessed 29 new confirmed COVID-19 cases today. (AJ, HA, HA, REU 5/21)

18 Democratic senators signed a letter addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, warning that annexation of parts of the West Bank “would betray our shared democratic values by denying Palestinians’ right to self-determination in a viable, sovereign, independent and contiguous state.” It further stated that annexation would likely erode the American people’s support for the U.S.-Israeli special relationship. (HA 5/21; WAFA 5/22)

Palestinian pres. Mahmud Abbas heads to New York ahead of the expected 11/29 UNGA vote on a resolution to upgrade the status of Palestine to a non-member observer state. PA officials express optimism about the anticipated level of European support, and also say they do not take seriously threats from Israel that the PA will be punished for pursuing the initiative. The Palestinians circulate a revised draft resolution. Behind the scenes, Israeli and U.S. officials press the Palestinians to tone down the wording of the text (see Quarterly Update in JPS 167 for details). Israeli diplomatic officials now say that Israel’s response to the bid will depend on what Abbas does with the upgraded status. Meanwhile, Hamas leader Mishal telephones Abbas to express Hamas’s support for the bid. (JP, HA, MNA, REU 11/26)

Israeli DM Barak (Independence party) announces he will leave political life after the national elections scheduled for 1/22/13. Likud primaries are held and result in a win for the more hard-line wing of the party, including an almost guaranteed Knesset seat for far-right activist Moshe Feiglin. Mins. Benny Begin, Dan Meridor, and Michael Eitan all fail to make the top 10 places on the party’s slate. (HA, REU, ToI 11/26)

Egyptian mediators begin separate talks with Hamas and Israel about fleshing out and implementing the details of the cease-fire. Palestinian demands reportedly include the opening of more Israeli crossings into the Gaza Strip. (JP, REU 11/26)

In Gaza, 2 Palestinian civilians die from wounds sustained during Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense, raising the comprehensive Palestinian death toll to 164. During the day, the IDF opens fire on Palestinian civilians approaching the border fence nr. Khan Yunis, lightly injuring 1. The IDF also opens fire on Palestinian civilians and farmers staging a march to the border fence e. of Jabalya to protest Israel’s imposition of a ‘‘no-go’’ buffer zone, injuring 2. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Tulkarm in the morning, in 1 village nr. Jenin and 1 village nr. Tulkarm in the afternoon, and 1 village nr. Tulkarm at night; conducts late-night house searches and arrest raids in al-‘Arub r.c. and 1 other village nr. Hebron, and 1 village nr. Nablus. (MNA 11/26; PCHR 11/29)